Island



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J. LANOELOT'I, OF ORANSTON, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO SACKETT, DAVIS & GO., OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

SHEET-METAL CHAIN.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 20,183, dated May 4, 1858.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES LANcELoTT, of Cranston, in the county of Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Method of Making Ornamental Chains from Sheet Met-al, Particularly for Articles 0f Jewelry;

' and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specifica tion, in which- Figures l, 5 and 6 represent di'erent forms of a link out from sheet metal. Figs. 2 and 8 are views of the form which the blank represented in Fig. l is made to assume in the process of manufacturing the chain, and Fig. I represents the chain when finished, as it appears when made from blanks of the form represented in Fig. l.

Metallic chains have heretofore been made from sheet metal without solder by taking a quantity of blanks having projecting arms of suflicient length to be bent over twice and overlap the body of the under link. These arms of the links being interlocked it follows that there must be an open space between the arms of any two links equal Aat least to two thicknesses of the plate from which the link is cut. Of course, the larger the size of the chain and the heavier the stock employed the more apparent this space appears-greatly to the injury of the beauty of the chain.- To obviate to a considerable extent this difficulty as well as incidentally to produce a more beautiful and flexible article of manufacture is the object of my improvement.

I take a blank of the form represented in Fig. l, for example, or of any other form desired and by any of the ordinary means dome or strike up the body of the link as represented in Figs. 2 and 3. The precise form which is given to it is immaterial so long as it is raised or dished sufficiently deep to give stiffness to the link and admit of the arms of the under link being bent close to the sides. -I prepare a second blank in the same way and place it within the first with its arms between the arms of the first, and then bend down the arms of the first link close against the sides of the cup into which the body of the second link was formed. A third link is then prepared and the same operation is continuously repeated. The chain when completed is passed through a drawing plate in the same manner as chain made by the usual methods. The result of the process above described is a highly ornamental and exceedingly flexible chain without the open spaces between the links which are characteristic of all chains made from plate by any method known to me, while the pattern of the chain is in all cases determined by the form of the edge of the blank used, in consequence of the operation 0f doming or dishing the body of the link being performed as I have described.

The advantages resulting from this method of manufacture are particularly apparent in case blanks with only two arms or projections are used as Fig. l, which can not be woven into chain by the method of manufacture heretofore employed by reason 0f the fact that each link, unless perforated, must be held mechanically by the clench of the arm on each side, while by the method which I have described the doming, dishing or cupping the body of the link removes the necessity of any greater number of arms than two. I have however used blanks hav ing more than two arms as represented in Figs. 5 and 6. I have also applied my improvement in the manufacture of chain from perforated links of the kind as represented in Fig. 5 where the arms of each link are inserted in the perforations of the upper link which is then made to assume the contour of the under link and the projections then Yturned down close as in the case of the chain made from blanks like Fig. 1. The beauty and flexibility as well as strength of the chain so made are by the operation of doming described greatly increased.

I do not claim the making of an ornamental chain from sheet metal-neither do I claim the weaving of a chain by turning over the arms of each link upon the body of the next link, without the use of solder. But

I claim- The forming of the body of each link into a dome dish or cup so as to admit of the projecting arms of each link being bent at a very acute angle against the sides of the dome or cup of the next succeeding link for the purposes specified.

JAMES LANOELOTT.

Witnesses:

WM. H. GREEN, LAURIsToN ToWNE. 

